// caf naming pattern
Microsoft's recommended pattern:
{type}-{workload}-{env}-{region}-{instance}
Example: rg-ecommerce-prod-westeu-001
Storage (no hyphens): stecommerceprodwesteu001
// global uniqueness
Some Azure resources require globally unique names because they create public DNS entries.
These include: Storage Accounts, Key Vaults, App Services, SQL Servers, Cosmos DB, Container Registries.
// naming restrictions
Storage Accounts: 3–24 chars, lowercase, no hyphens
Key Vaults: 3–24 chars
VMs (Windows): max 15 chars
Container Registry: alphanumeric only
Most resources: 1–80 chars
// environments
Standard abbreviations:
dev — Development
tst — Test / QA
stg — Staging / UAT
prod — Production
What is the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) naming convention for Azure?
The CAF recommends the pattern: {resource-type-abbreviation}-{workload}-{environment}-{azure-region}-{instance}. For example, a production resource group in West Europe for an e-commerce app would be: rg-ecommerce-prod-westeu-001. Storage accounts and container registries omit hyphens due to character restrictions.
Why do storage account names not allow hyphens?
Azure Storage Account names must be globally unique, 3–24 characters, lowercase letters and numbers only — no hyphens. This is because the name becomes part of a public DNS endpoint (storageaccountname.blob.core.windows.net). The same restriction applies to Azure Container Registries.
How do I export Azure resource names to Terraform?
Use the "Project Suite" tab, fill in your workload, environment and region, then click "Terraform" in the export section. This generates a locals block with all resource names that you can paste directly into your .tf files. The tool generates names for 40+ resource types including resource groups, VNets, storage accounts, key vaults, AKS clusters and more.
Which Azure resources require globally unique names?
Resources that create public DNS entries require globally unique names: Storage Accounts, Key Vaults, App Service / Web Apps, Function Apps, API Management instances, Azure SQL Servers, Cosmos DB accounts, Azure Cache for Redis, Container Registries, Service Bus Namespaces, Event Hubs Namespaces, Azure Data Factory, Synapse Workspaces, and more. The generator flags these resources with a warning.
What are the Azure region short codes for naming conventions?
Common Azure region abbreviations used in naming: westeu (West Europe), northeu (North Europe), eastus (East US), eus2 (East US 2), wus2 (West US 2), uks (UK South), frc (France Central), gwc (Germany West Central), sea (Southeast Asia), aue (Australia East), jpe (Japan East), krc (Korea Central). Use the region dropdown to select any of 28 Azure regions.